CVN News

|VIDEO| How Expert Testimony Helped Win a $14.1M Crash Case Verdict, in Medical Testimony Master Class

Written by Courtroom View Network | Nov 18, 2022 3:00:00 PM

Dr. Burton Bentley, II analyzes a portion of key testimony from a physician that treated a cyclist injured in a crash with an SUV.  Claggett & Sykes' Sean Claggett won a $14.1 million verdict in the trial.

When a trial turns into a “battle of the experts,” it’s often a medical expert’s testimony that plays the central role. It’s crucial that your jurors understand and believe the medical story your expert will tell. That’s why Courtroom View Network is proud to launch a new series to help you improve how you showcase that testimony: Medical Testimony Master Class, with Burton Bentley, II, M.D.

Dr. Bentley is one of the nation’s leading authorities on the strategic and tactical use of medical experts in complex litigation. Join CVN as Dr. Bentley uses real courtroom video to analyze the medical testimony that played key roles in cases ranging from fender benders to “bet the company” product liability trials. Each episode will give you a front-row seat to Dr. Bentley’s analysis of the country’s top attorneys and how they, and their experts, tell the medical stories central to their cases. 

As founder and CEO of Elite Medical Experts, a preeminent firm that aligns university physicians and surgeons as experts for trial teams across the country, Dr. Bentley is a leading authority on the presentation of medical testimony. He’ll demonstrate powerful ways to have your expert resonate with the jury by properly setting the stage, demystifying medical constructs, teaching while telling the story, and using demonstratives to drive home key points. 

The series will launch in the coming weeks, with more episodes added regularly, but you can watch one of the first episodes now, breaking down the medical testimony that played a pivotal role in Sean Claggett, of Claggett & Sykes, winning a $14.1 million verdict in a Nevada crash case. 

Thunder Roybal contended he suffered shoulder, neck, and chest injuries when he was struck by an SUV while riding his bicycle. The defense contended Roybal was to blame for the crash and challenged whether surgeries he underwent were directly related to the crash.

Testimony from one of Roybal's treating physicians, Dr. Michael Trainor, was crucial in explaining Roybal's injuries. Dr. Bentley reviews Claggett's questioning of this key expert, including his use of a computer animation during testimony. 

In this episode, Dr. Bentley discusses the computer animations that work best at trial, tips for explaining complex concepts to a jury, and more. 

Watch this episode now, and look out for future episodes in the weeks ahead. 

Email Arlin Crisco at acrisco@cvn.com.

About Dr. Bentley: 

Burton Bentley, II, M.D., is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with more than two decades of full-time experience practicing in the field. He is also a nationally renowned speaker, CLE presenter, author, and consultant on topics at the intersection of Medicine & Law. In 2010, Dr. Bentley founded Elite Medical Experts, a consulting firm that aligns professors of medicine and surgery as experts in a range of litigation. Elite, with Dr. Bentley as CEO, now serves over 4,000 law firms, governmental entities, and corporations across the country.